


Connecting

by letmeriddleyouatale



Category: SK8 the Infinity (Anime)
Genre: M/M, MAJOR EPISODE 9 SPOILERS, casual matchablossom, not really all that shippy but they hold hands, only mentions of ADAM, what happened at the hospital
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-06
Updated: 2021-03-06
Packaged: 2021-03-12 17:40:31
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 774
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29888145
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/letmeriddleyouatale/pseuds/letmeriddleyouatale
Summary: Kaoru is in the hospital and Kojiro is dealing with that and the feelings because of it.
Relationships: Nanjo Kojiro | Joe/Sakurayashiki Kaoru | Cherry Blossom
Kudos: 132





	Connecting

**Author's Note:**

> ***MAJOR EPISODE 9 SPOILERS***
> 
> If you have not seen episode 9, I cannot recommend enough that you go watch it first.

Kojiro had always hated hospitals. They smelled like antiseptics and the food was always mediocre. The lights were too bright and hurt his eyes, and Ainosuke had sent more people to them than Kojiro cared to count. The thing was, though, that in the past, it had never been anyone he was that close with. Sure, it was still awful, but he had never felt the need to be there, waiting for the person to get patched up. He had never wanted to hurt Ainosuke like he did right now.

Kaoru was still being patched up, so Kojiro was left in the waiting room, staring at a clock in the corner, waiting for someone to tell him he could see him. His hand gripped the arm of the chair so tight he thought the plastic might snap as he replayed that moment over and over again in his head. He could still hear the smacking sound that rang in his ears like the echo of a gong, or the shattering of glass.

As he stood, about to pace to get out some of the pent up energy and frustration, a nurse stepped into the room. “Ah, are you here for Mr. Sakurayashiki?”

“Yes. How is he?” Kojiro asked as he stopped mid-step.

“He is all patched up, though he is asleep right now. He’s in a room so he can rest if you want to go sit in there with him until he wakes up,” she offered, stepping out of the way so he could follow her back to the hospital room.

Kaoru looked so… _small_ laying in the hospital bed. His hair was down and framed around him, a heart monitor beeping a bit louder than the TV that was turned on just for the white noise of it. “We will be in to check on him in a bit,” the nurse said before she stepped out, leaving the door just cracked open behind her.

How long had it been since he saw Kaoru like this? The other was always so strong and regal, much more like a prince than a commoner. Kojiro always felt like Kaoru’s spirit was as strong as it could be, and what hurt the most was knowing how damaged it was right now. His body would heal, but how long would it take for the other to recover mentally from this? The anger he had been feeling melted as he looked at Kaoru, replaced with a deep ache that settled in the middle of his chest.

Kojiro sank into the chair next to the bed and after a moment, took the other’s hand, his thumb stroking the back of Kaoru’s hand slowly. “I wanted to be the one to skate against him because I knew that you would be hurt…I didn’t know it would be physical like this…but I knew you still hoped the old Ainosuke was in here, and a beef against him would make you realize he’s gone.” Kojiro lifted the hand to his face and pressed a soft kiss to Kaoru’s knuckles, a couple bitter tears running down his face. “I just wanted to protect you and keep you from getting hurt, and I didn’t even do that.”

The hand he was holding turned over and Kaoru touched Kojiro’s cheek softly, his thumb stroking the other’s skin, wiping away a tear. The motion made Kojiro look up to meet Kaoru’s gaze, who looked tired and a little sad. “Weren’t you supposed to laugh at me if I lost?” He asked, voice far less strong than usual.

Kojiro forced a smile and a humorless laugh. “Yeah. I mean come on four-eyes, wasn’t Carla supposed to map out your perfect victory or something?” He asked as he sat back in his chair, still holding Kaoru’s hand.

Kaoru laughed and shook his head. “Shut up you damn gorilla. Why don’t you do some push ups or something?” He asked as some of the tension seeped away, though the elephant in the room didn’t leave. “I knew the old Ainosuke was gone…I just didn’t want to admit it,” Kaoru finally said, looking over at Kojiro, “I thought that maybe if we skated together again, he might come back.”

Kojiro nodded and used his free hand to rub the back of his neck, “I know. I wish it had worked that way, but he’s just too gone. Maybe it’s time we move on too. We could always go back to France,” he pointed out with a smile.

Kaoru laughed and looked at the TV, “Maybe. I mean the cooking there was way better than yours.”

“Hey! Asshole.”


End file.
